Quick wine review: Trader Chilenas 2009 Cabernet

I like wine a lot. While my recent economic hardship hasn't been hard enough to force that habit out, but it has forced me to buy the cheapest wine possible. This usually means Two Buck Chuck. However, I might have to raise my spending by 30% now because I just discovered the $2.99 Trader Chilenas, once again from you know where. This particular bottle is a 2009 Cab. I was first of all most attracted to its pretty label. Usually, for wine in this price range the labeling sucks. Not for this one. The paper was well textured and the artwork showed real craftsman ship (or maybe I'm just a gullible cheapo) Even then, I still had to debate whether this was worth the extra DOLLAR.

Well, it definitely was. Upon immediate de-corking I was able to discern a weak, but still noticeable hint of oak that is completely missing from Charles Shaw wines. I took my first sip with trepidation, and was pleased to find none of the sharp acridness that is associated with cheap S. American wine. To be honest, it was quite smooth, and you even get a pleasant kick of tannins. Again, completely surprising for this price range. I had the wine with pomodoro pasta, which makes any cheap wine good, so it was no surprise that I ate and drank happily (not happily: alone).

I can't make any judgment on acidity of depth because I was too busy snacking and drinking, so busy that I drank the whole bottle within the first hour. Which, never happens for Charles Shaw. In a nutshell, for $3 dollars, this is the best wine I have had, and from now, I will continue to buy it! And why is this related to the theme of my blog? I don't know.